My Strange Pierrot
by FluffDucklings
Summary: The life of Berwald and Tino from when they were children to adults trying to make it in America. Rated T for mentions of drug use and other things. Rating may go up in later chapters.
1. Prologue

Got this little idea while writing my short story for the prompt: recess. :3 I got sidetracked and started writing Berwald's back story before he came to America to become a Kindergarten teacher. So... Here is the first part~ I hope you like it!  
>Disclaimer: I only own the knowledge that I will never own Hetalia.<br>Notes at the bottom~  
>R-and-R~<p>

* * *

><p>The Prologue<p>

"Mamma, are you awake?" A tiny boy shook his mother from her spot on the couch. She had fine red lines scattered across her arms and a few peeking from under her short dress on her legs. "Mamma?"

The boy kept shaking his mother for a minute more, but she didn't wake. Swallowing thickly, the boy stood up and walked over the cans of Swedish beer into the kitchen where his father was sleeping at the dining table.

"Pappa?" The boy shook the man this time. His head was resting in his hand until it slipped out and his head hit the table with a _thud_ that seemed louder than it actually was in the quiet home. "P-Pappa?"

The boy gave up trying to wake up his parents and went to find a snack on his own. It was Thursday night - morning if you preferred - and he had woken up after a particular dream about a deviled egg with razor teeth. The dream had scared him, thus the boy trying to wake his parents for comfort and a mid-night snack.

The boy's name was Berwald. Berwald Oxenstierna from Stockholm, Sweden was born to a very much in love couple who had ended up dealing the wrong cards. Berwald's mother began using drugs that his father brought home and the two began using more frequently, subsequently forgetting about their only son.

Berwald became more self-sufficient for the young age of ten and he reverted more into himself, becoming quiet and not speaking often. When he did speak, though, it was often in short sentences or mumbled.

* * *

><p>Tino Väinämöinen was a pierrot - working in an unofficial branch of the old famous French Commedia dell'arte in Finland. He was nine, and had been working with the small traveling circus group for as long as he could remember. The other circus members acted as his family, having taken him in when Irina - the "ring-leader" - had found him as a baby in a ditch near their tents. Fortunately, his mother had been holding onto him even after her death. Irina had taken the sleeping child and left the dead woman.<p>

Tino was beautiful. His petite figure was what the female performers worked to own for themselves and gushed over when they found it harder to get and keep. "You're so tiny Tino," they would gush, pinching his cheeks.

His duties as a pierrot were simple. Since he was so young, he was usually only used as a background character to cheer up the audience after a sad scene or to help transition between them. He would dance around in his billowy white dress-like shirt, his face painted a brilliant white with a black triangle over his right eye and a tear drop under the left.

The audiences loved Tino. He was seen as the cute child who danced in a magical way – sometimes balancing on a ball that resembled a globe – across the stage and entertained the masses. Even though his parts were small, he was one of the most loved.

Irina, his adoptive mother, watched over him every performance. Her hawk eyes caught every little twitch in the audience. Nothing was going to harm her child. Biological or not, he was still precious to her and she would not stand for anything to happen to him. She usually sat behind the curtains or in the stands themselves to watch her baby. Even with those preying eyes, her smile was ever present, eyes shining with pride.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes:<strong> deviled egg/razor teeth - remember Bloody Hanatamago? Hana = flower and tamago = egg so.. I just skipped out on the flower and made a very, very vague reference to Hanatamago! :3  
>Mamma and Pappa = Swedish spelling of mommy and daddy.. from what I got from Google Translate at least.<br>When I was writing about Sweden's parents, a bad storm kicked up. XD What symbolism!  
>I know absolutely nothing about pierrots so if anyone would like to give any information, I'll just be using what I can scrounge off of Wikipedia and other sources.<br>I took the name Irina after looking up a list of famous Finnish actors/resses. (Irina Björklund)


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: Chapter One is up~ w I really like this story! And I would like to thank everyone who favourited, added alerts, and reviews, but most of all read. Thank you!  
>If I owned Hetalia: PruCan would be canon, GerIta would be 4 out of the 5 minute episodes. There would be more American history references (especially the Civil War), and Tino would realize his feelings for Berwald.<br>I hope you like this chapter! And please tell me if there are any mistakes with names, culture, or sentence structure or drop a message telling me what you think. :3

* * *

><p>Chapter One<p>

The night his parents died, Berwald was none-the-wiser. His small, child-mind could not comprehend that mommy and daddy – the people who protect and provide for you – were gone and never coming back. He just got his snack of bread and butter and went back to sleep. The next morning, he found them in the same place – sleeping, he had thought.

When he came back from the small school his parents had been able to afford, there was a fly on his mothers face. He watched it. It buzzed that ever present buzz and walked across her face, over her nose, across her lips, and stood on her closed eyes. After nearly two minutes, Berwald waved the fly away.

His father was still slumped at the dinner table. His current position did not look comfortable. 'He's going to have a chink in his neck,' Berwald thought. But why would his parents still be sleeping? They usually went to work at the same time he went to school and didn't come back home until late at night.

Thinking nothing more of it, Berwald went to his room and did his homework like a good boy. Because good boys did their homework and didn't bother his parents while they were sleeping.

It wasn't until a man in uniform followed him home, that Berwald began to worry. The man had introduced himself as a policeman. He met little Berwald on the steps of the school, his principal nodding behind him.

"Your teachers have asked me to take you home today, son. They said they wanted me to check up on your parents. Is that alright?" Berwald nodded.

"My parents are home. Mamma and Pappa have been sleeping for a while." The policeman shifted uneasily in his stride.

"I just wanted to check."

The policeman, who eventually introduced himself as Mr. Banér, entered Berwald's home, covering his nose at the slight pungent smell. "Where are your parents?"

Berwald pointed to his mother on the couch. Her skin was green and had purple-yellow blemishes splotched everywhere. Flies roamed his body. "She fell asleep right there." He then showed the man to his father who was in a similar state.

The man faltered. His radio, used for calling in back-up from the station, was on his hip and the man wasted no time in calling. "We have two dead bodies – one male, one female. Multiple cut wounds on the female, most likely self-inflicted and no apparent wounds on the male. It seems like they have been dead three days."

"Copy. Two dead – one male, one female." A woman – Petra if Banér could remember correctly – said. The radio clicked and the two were left in a humming silence.

"I also have a child here, but he is fine – no wounds." He waited a second before beginning again. "There is apparent drug use, empty alcohol containers and used needles. Heroin and cocaine if I am correct."

The radio blipped and the conversation was over. Petra had enrooted a police team and possibly a medical team as well. Banér looked at Berwald.

"Son. I'm sorry, but your parents are… gone."

* * *

><p>"Tino, dear! Wake up. Breakfast is ready and you don't want Esa and Aamu to eat all of it, do you?" Irina opened the curtains covering the windows. The small boy rolled over. The night before, he had balanced on a large rubber ball for nearly an hour as Esa and Aamu swung from the ceiling with ropes and juggled scarves around them. Besides, Tino wasn't much of a breakfast person and balancing was harder than it looked.<p>

"Irina!" He moaned, curling into a ball when the woman pulled his blankets off, letting the freezing morning air rush over him. "Too cold!"

"I don't care. Today we have to pack up. We have only a week left in Finland and then we are going to travel for a few months in Sweden then Norway. So hup to it, mister!"

Tino groaned one last time before stretching and getting out of his bed. Honestly, the whole room was just a bunch of mats with blanket upon blanket for the whole circus crew to use. The room was a bus, seats taken out in the back to make room for the mats and blankets. The front had a few seats left for while the bus was moving. The bus parked to their right was used more as storage for their equipment and accessories and the trailer behind it held their clothes and extra water.

"Yes, ma'am." Tino rubbed at his eyes and his left ankle that was hurting after he had fallen off his ball the night before. (Hey, balancing is hard!) In a sudden burst of energy, Tino jumped up and hugged Irina. "What's for breakfast, Äiti?"

Irina smiled, even though Tino never liked breakfast, he did love eating her food. "We are having sandwiches and I made you some special salmiakki if you eat the sandwiches."

Tino's eyes shone. Honestly, Irina could not understand how that little boy of hers could eat something like salmiakki. Everyone else on the crew hated the stuff. They preferred the American licorice _Twizzlers_ (especially Aamu). "Alright!"

That was the 'pick-me-up' Tino needed to fold up his blanket and straighten out his clothes before hopping out of the bus and to the small picnic area. Just like Irina said, the tent was down, the individual sections folded up and waiting to be put into the storage bus. Tino saw Aamu and Esa sitting at a wooden table, eating their own sandwiches. They waved and Tino bounced up to them.

"Hyvää huomenta!" Tino returned the greeting and took a ready-made sandwich off one of the plates. If he ate two, Irina would let him eat as much salmiakki as he wanted during the day – with-in reason of course.

Irina and the other circus members gathered around the picnic table and ate their meal. Tino had everyone laughing with his (terrible) jokes and stories of one day owning a dog named Bloody Hanatamago. When asked why he chose the name, Tino turned to Irina and said, "Because it makes him sound fierce!"

The sun was already shining and Tino could tell that the day was going to be a good one.

* * *

><p><strong>Notes:<strong> The names Irina, Esa, and Aamu were all taken randomly. I had my brother look up random Finnish names for Esa and Aamu. (Random fact: Esa was origionally going to be named Aalto, but I thought my brother picked the name becuase he is a Saxiphonist so I made him look something else up.) And I looked up random Swedish names for Banér and Petra. (Banér is a surname if I remember correctly.  
>Random fact: While I was looking up the meaning of names, I decided to look up my name. Turns out, it has an Anglo-French origin (makes sense since I am Scottish-French) and means "tailor; to cut" and it became a name of occupation. My name was one of the top 10 names given during the 90's. :D<br>As a reminder, this is in modern times. Since Tino/Berwald are children, it is probably around 1985-ish? so that they are in their twentys when we get to modern times.  
>Salmiakki is a well... go Google it. It's a salty liquorice that has a lot of ammonium chloride. It doesn't sound very good, that's why I had everone else like Twizzlers (because I had to put something American in this! XD)<br>I read the Sweden has a zero tolerance for drug use. So... how did Berwald's parents get heroin and cocaine? I don't really know. But, those darn users will do anything for a fix.

**Translations: **(If Google didn't lie)

Hyvää huomenta - Finnish for "Good morning"

Äiti - Finnish for "Mommy" (Taken from Finland's Marukaite Chikyuu song version)


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Oh yeah! I got the second chapter out! ...But with so much trouble. Berwald's story is more trouble than I thought it would be...  
>But you get to see some of his character's speech pattern. :) There are mentions of Iceland, Norway, Denmark, and Belgium. Berwald's Grandmother popped up in my head before school let out. I let her boil and bubble in my head, but she wouldn't leave! I hate her! I swear I do! But she's a persistent old bat.<p>

Tino's story just flows out. He's so cute and adorable! But... I may have some things in store for him... Dun dun dun! The return of the name Aalto! I couldn't think of another name for the bus driver so I just used Aalto. To me, he looks sort of like the hippy on "That's 70s Show," but more clean-shaven and kid friendly. I love fairy tales. Almost as much as England, actually, so I had to add in that Tino loves to listen to fairy tales. And... I want Tino's hat from his military uniform.

Thanks for everyone who reads! That means so much to me! And, I don't own Hetalia~

* * *

><p>After the bodies were removed, Mr. Banér sat down with Berwald on the back of an extra ambulance. He had noticed that the child hadn't spoken after he had pronounced his parents dead.<p>

"Son, you okay?" Berwald looked at him absently.

"'m alr'ght." He didn't meet Banér's gaze.

"Well, son, can you tell me where any of your relatives live? Anyone close your parents trusted?"

Berwald thought for a moment. He _did_ have a cousin in Norway, but he was not sure if he and his parents had moved to Iceland yet or not. Then there was his crazy uncle in Dänemark and his older sister in Belgium. Though… his parents had never liked him and always made crude remarks about him.

"No."

Another man came up to Banér, holding a file to him. He has a grandmother just outside of Stockholm listed as an emergency contact on his school records. We contacted her and she said she would be waiting at the police station." The man left the file with Banér and made his way back to one of the police cars.

His grandmother in upper Stockholm… wasn't she crazy too?

"No."

Banér looked at Berwald. "What?"

"Mamma alw'ys said she was cr'zy." And then something about a 'home.' Berwald always remembered his Mamma talking with Pappa about why Grandma was never allowed to watch him alone. About how she wasn't reliable and sometimes forgot where she was and what she was doing. That could not be a good thing if she was soon to be expected to guard a small child.

"What do you mean by crazy?" Banér was skimming through the folder, looking for anything about the woman's health concerns. There was nothing.

"Mamma s'id she was supposed to go to a 'home'."

"A 'home,' son?" Banér looked skeptical. Then it clicked. An elder's home. The man let out a sign. "By crazy, I bet your mamma meant she wasn't able to take care of you, I bet," he said it more to himself, but Berwald nodded.

In his head, Berwald felt proud of himself. His batty old grandmother would hopefully not be issued to take care of him. But… who else would? He thought for a moment. He could take care of himself. Yeah. He did it all the time when Mamma and Pappa were still alive. He could do it now that they were dead, right?

Banér was going through a similar thought process. If this kid had no other able relatives, he would have to be sent to an orphanage, right? Right. Now to get the kid to the police station first. Banér smiled at the boy. "We need to get you to the police station and then everything will be sorted out from there."

Berwald nodded.

The station was white. A stark, starchy white that stung Berwald's eyes when he first stepped into the building. He rubbed his eyes as Banér ushered him to sit in one of the many chairs lining the walls. Flimsy, removable walls separated each office and room. He looked around as Banér went to a desk overflowing with folders and papers. He took the top one off and started looking through it when a little old woman waddled up to him.

"'ello son," she greeted warmly. Her grey hair fell down in wisps, her shawl wrapped tightly around her humped shoulders. "I was told my daughter and her husband… passed away and that I was their emergency contact for their son." She smiled a snaggle-toothed grandmotherly smile.

"You must be Berwald's grandmother, Miss…"

"Mrs. Oxenstierna," she said confidently. "Where is my grandson?" She turned and saw Berwald sitting in his chair. "Oh, Berwald, my dear! You must be so upset!" The old woman flung her arms around the young boy, encasing him in a hug.

Berwald cringed slightly at the woman's touch. "H'llo grandma."

"Tell me, tell me. Are you all right? Are you okay?" Berwald nodded.

"Erm, excuse me ma'am, but I must discuss with you… Before we took Berwald to the station, he told me that his mother and father were discussing a nursing home, for you. Is that true?"

The woman smiled warmly, her eyes twinkling with an old knowledge. "No. The other month, my silly daughter said that she was worried I would fall. My dogs are very active, you know. They like to jump around and such and she was worried one would knock me over."

That was a lie, Berwald thought. She had no dogs. In fact, she was allergic to them and would have to be hospitalized if she ever breathed in a dog's dander. The young Swede furrowed his brow. He did not want to live with his grandmother. He could take care of himself. And that was that.

"Oh deary me. I've gone and started rambling again." Mrs. Oxenstierna laughed weakly. She ushered Berwald to stand up and pushed him to the door.

"U-Uh, ma'am. You can't just take him. You have to sign forms of release and then we need you to identify the bodies so we can get to work on autopsies and then we can hand them back over for a funeral." Banér placed a hand on Berwald's head to make him stop walking.

"Oh. Well then, let's get to work on those forms, young man!" Mrs. Oxenstierna said sharply. The officer hesitated.

"I-I'll just be a minute to get the forms." And get someone to check up on your medical file…

As it turned out, Mrs. Ophelia Oxenstierna was supposed to be in the hospital right that very instant, getting tests done to determine her mental capability. Banér looked skeptically to the boy he left with the old woman. He was standing there, looking up at her with eyes that said they knew she wasn't able to take care of him.

He sighed. Maybe he'd get a day off after today?

"Mrs. Oxenstierna, I'm going to have to get you to the hospital. I have an understanding that your doctor made an appointment with you to have some tests run. I just wanted to get you down there so they can be over and done with. Berwald may come with us."

* * *

><p><p>

After breakfast, Esa and Aamu flittered away to help pack up the previous night's performance mess. The giant tent still needed to be folded and packed away into the storage caravan.

Tino, blue eyed and bushy tailed after some salmiakki, was helping Irina clean up the breakfast mess. After the extra sandwiches were stashed away, Tino helped count inventory of food and the circus animals.

There were the horses for the bare-back rider, the small, Asian Elephant also for the bare-back rider, a small spider monkey that usually worked to collect coins and sometimes danced with Tino, a tiger (though, Tino was a bit frightened of him), three mutts that were running around the park for exercise before they were too caged up, and lastly their new baby giraffe that was being trained to give rides to children and to 'dance' with the elephant.

After inventory, Tino was instructed by Irina to go around the park and pick up any odds and ends he found on the ground, the park manager would have a fit if the circus performers left any sort of mess for him to clean up. She went off to re-fold the tent that Esa and Aamu lazily stuffed into the bus. "It has to be folded neatly if you don't want it to rip and for everything else to fit in!" she hollered.

Off around the park, Tino skipped. He stopped by the cages to help feed to monkey and dogs and then went off to the stands that were provided by the park to pick up any messes the audience may have left. He swept the concrete floors under the bleachers, racked the ring leaders' circle, and then headed towards the deserted confession stands to empty the fryers of their oil.

By day's end, each circus member had at least a few splotches of dirt and grime on their face and all needed a good shower. The park manager thanked them for their clean-up and provided directions to the shower house. Tino thought he was a very nice man for letting them use the showers.

After everyone was cleaned up, Irina had them all gathered round to explain what was happening next. "Aalto is going to be driving to the next town. Around midnight, we will stop for the night and start back up at day break. We made a killing here so if we can make the same progress at out next show, we may have a bit more to spend leisurely. I do promise that on our way to Sweden, we will make a few stops for some shopping."

Everyone cheered at that; Aamu giving a girly squeal.

"Now let's get in the buses and move out!"

Tino fell asleep in the back of the larger bus somewhere between the park sight and some town he had missed the name of. He drifted off to sleep with the constant hum of the wheels turning under him and the soft whispers of Aamu and Esa as they planned what to do for their next performance.

When he woke up, the bus was quiet, except for the occasional snore. He peaked out one of the sheets over the windows and saw nothing but darkness. He yawned once, then again, and then once more before burying himself in the blankets again and falling back to sleep.

When he awoke again, the bus was moving, Aalto at the driver's seat, sipping a cup of coffee no doubt. Tino crawled around the other sleeping bodies and made his was to Aalto. He knew he wasn't supposed to talk to him when he was driving, but Tino couldn't help it. Aalto was a very interesting person. He had been everywhere! He had told Tino of stories about the Sve trolls, the fairies from both Norway and England, the Vikings from Iceland, and even of the three small countries once owned by Russia – Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

"They are all amazing, magical places, Tino," he had once said. "If you ever get to travel the globe, those should be your first destinations."

When Tino managed to crawl past Irina, he gave a silent sigh of relief and sat down next to Aalto. "Good morning, Aalto," he whispered.

The young man jumped and a bit of coffee slashed out of the cup onto his pants. "Tino!" he whispered back harshly. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

The young blonde dipped his head. "Sorry. I just wanted to talk with you."

"Tino, you know Irina said not to talk with me while I'm driving. That'll cause a wreck."

"Yes, but I'm not tired anymore and there is nothing to do. Can't you at least tell me where we are going?" Tino drew up his best begging face and clasped his hands together.

Aalto glanced to the boy for a second before staring back at the empty road. "Fine. We are going somewhere with a bunch of shops so that the ladies can have a break from us men and do things that, you know, girls do."

"What _do_ girls do?"

Aalto thought a moment. "I dunno. Shop and talk. That's about it, I guess." He shrugged before adding, "Our bunch o' ladies aren't into all that real girly, mushy, romantic stuff so maybe… they buy shoes?"

Tino nodded. There was one thing he was sure of. Girls would mystify him forever. They were just too much to understand. But maybe Irina could show him what girls did?

After another minute of talking, Aalto ushered Tino to go back to the back end of the bus and try to get some more sleep before the sun was completely up. Tino tried to resist for a moment, but when Irina rolled in her sleep, he thought it best to listen to Aalto and go lay back down.

When Tino woke up for a third time, the bus had stopped again, but this time, everyone was off. He scurried to fix his tangled hair and find his shoes before rushing off the bus to find everyone.

He looked around his new surroundings to find that they were parked in the back of a parking lot. There was a road, probably heading to downtown since it had a bit of traffic, and another road with pedestrians and bike riders. Between the two buses, the circus crew was already eating breakfast.

"You didn't wake me up." Tino pouted as he sat down next to Irina.

"Oh yes I did, honey. You just didn't get up. You were probably up talking to Aalto, weren't you?" Tino's ears turned red. "Aha! I knew it."

"I-I'm sorry, Äiti." Irina gave a smug grim and plopped two sandwiches in front of Tino.

"Good. Now eat your breakfast. The ladies and I are going out to town for a break from you men. The rest of yous are going to figure out where our next stop is."

Tino nodded and gulped down a dry sandwich. "C-Could I go with you today, Äiti? I wanna know what girls do."

Irina laughed in her hardy way and ruffled little Tino's short blonde hair. "Sure. But I'm going to put you to work holding our bags," she chuckled.

"That's alright!"

Tino waved excitedly to Aalto as he walked away with Irina in hand. The woman dragged her son along the sidewalk, chatting away with Aamu (who was for once without Esa). The women, and Tino, crowded the small walkway as they walked up its harbor path.

After a good hour of being quiet, Tino tugged on Irina's hand. "What _do_ girls do when they go out? This all seems so boring."

Irina laughed quietly. "Oh, my Tino, this is what we do. We talk and walk and have a good time. If you want, I will buy you and ice cream to tide you over while we all look at clothes." Tino beamed.

When the ladies turned into a small dress shop – it had feathers and scarves and hats and everything – Tino sat down by the window with his promised ice cream as they all danced around racks of clothing.

He tried to make it last, Tino did. He licked the melted ice cream off the sides of the cone and tried his very best not to get his hands sticky. When the last bit of cone was gone, Tino looked up to find all the girls still looking at clothes. Some of them, though, had arms full of colourful fabric.

The small child stood up and went off in search of Irina. He climbed through a rack of shirts, almost getting lost in the middle, made it under a forest of hats and finally through an ocean of scarves before he found his mother.

"Irina! Look!" Tino exclaimed as he placed a small white beret on his head. "It's so pretty!"

Irina jumped, not expecting her son to call out her name so suddenly, but when she saw him standing beside her, his face nearly split with a smile and a small hat on his head, she could proudly say that she had the cutest son in Finland.

"Do you like it, Äiti?" He twirled around, like he did when he was performing. "I think it looks pretty."

"You do look mighty handsome in that hat, hon." She took the hat off his head and looked for a price. If it was in reason, she would get it for him. Tino's face nearly split in half with his smile.


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: The third chapter! I'm trying to update everything before the fourth so I can finish my Fourth of July one-shot~  
>So... a few OCs in here, but I'm not sure how much we will see them after their purposes are served...<br>I don't know anything about adopting or putting someone into an orphanage. I completely made it up. If anyone knows I made it seem way too easy or something, please let me know. I don't bite~  
>Thank you all who read and especially review! It makes me happy to know you all like this story! <p>

* * *

><p>Banér had escorted Ophelia (and Berwald) to her hospital nearly an hour away. The nurses there greeted the old woman happily, having known her for quite a time.<p>

"Where have you been, Ophelia? The doctor's been wondering why you never came in."

"Oh, well, I had to pick up my dear grandson. His parents, my daughter, were found dead today." She said this with an odd voice. It wasn't happy, yet it wasn't solemn. It was like she had no feelings towards her deceased daughter or her husband.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that." The nurse said. She glanced toward Banér who flashed his badge quickly and mouthed, "Is she okay?" The young woman shrugged and led them down to Dr. Bøe's office. The aging man was sitting at his desk, looking over a mountain of folders and papers.

The nurse knocked once and the man looked up. "Oh! Mrs. Oxenstierna! You came in today!" The doctor jumped to his feet and hurried over to the woman, only to hesitate when Banér flashed his badge behind her back.

"I-It's good to know you decided to come in today. We discussed running a few tests today after all." The man led Ophelia in and thanked the nurse for bringing her. "Um, may I ask why you have a police escort?"

Banér stepped up to the doctor with an outstretched hand. They both shook and Banér began his story. "Ophelia was called to the station to pickup her grandson. We found his parents dead in their home. She's the only one we know that is… capable of taking care of him." The officer made a gesture that he wanted to speak in private for a moment. The two stepped out of the office and shut the door. Ophelia was sitting in a chair with Berwald in the one next to her.

"Uh-Dr. Bøe I read in my file that Mrs. Oxenstierna is supposed to be put into a nursing home. I read that her daughter was discussing the option before her death with her husband. I just need to know if Ophelia is mentally capable of taking care of her grandson. If not, we need to put him in an orphanage."

Dr. Bøe glanced through the rectangular window on the door. Ophelia was still sitting with Berwald, only now she was reading a children's book to him. "I know she has a kind heart, but she has been showing signs of Alzheimer's Disease. She's forgotten where she was while I was examining her. She's forgotten her name on a few occasions and she once thought the Russians were invading Finland and she starting crying for her husband in the war." Bøe ran a hand through his hair. "I guess she really isn't mentally capable to take care of that kid. I'm sorry."

Banér nodded. "It's alright. I just want to make sure the kid's taken care of. Thank you, but I'm going to need to leave with Berwald."Dr. Bøe and Officer Banér shook hands.

The doctor opened the door and Ophelia looked up. "This child is so sweet. He's so quiet and well mannered." She smiled sweetly, almost sickeningly so. Banér looked at her with different eyes from the station.

"Yes I know. But, Berwald is going to have to go with Mr. Banér now." Ophelia looked at him with dull eyes. The personality she presented at the station had completely disappeared.

"Alright." She pushed Berwald toward the man and said good bye to him. "Be good for the nice man, honey." Banér's face faltered for a moment. She was probably having an episode right now. But it was best she was, lest she put up a fight with her explosive attitude when she is capable.

Berwald nodded to her and stood next to the officer. "Are you ready to go, Berwald?" He nodded again.

Dr. Bøe scrunched his lips to the side of his face. When the boy and man left, he asked Ophelia her name. She delightfully answered and complimented the flowery wallpaper.

Banér was kneeling down to Berwald's height. He had just driven to the orphanage outside of Stockholm after telling the chief that he would take care of the kid.

"Listen kid. I know today must have been hard." The sun was setting behind the building. "And the next few days may seem difficult too, but you need to stay strong. I can tell you are." The man looked at Berwald. In his eyes.

Berwald stayed silent. There was no need to say anything. He knew he was going to an orphanage and even though he knew he could take care of himself, he would let the officer do what he thought was best. That's what he had been taught – to listen to authority.

"If you're good, I may drop by every now and again." He knew it was unprofessional to take a liking to persons in a case, but he couldn't help but feel some kind of parental cling to the boy. It must have been because Banér and his wife had yet to bear a child. Berwald nodded. "Good."

Banér walked the boy to the head office of the orphanage. A woman in a light blue suit was sitting at a desk, rummaging through files. The door was open so he knocked on the door frame.

"Ah-Yes?" To woman looked up. She had dazzling green eyes, Berwald noticed, like his mother. "Oh. You must be the officer who called earlier. And is this little Berwald?" The woman stood up from her seat and ushered the two in, closing her door. "Have a seat, please."

"Thank you, Mrs. …"

"Mrs. Linhart. Mrs. Asta Linhart." The orphanage director kneeled down to Berwald's height. "It's nice to meet you honey."

"He doesn't talk much. Anyways, is there some kind of paperwork to fill out? I have a copy of his school records, birth certificate, and medical history." Banér handed the woman the relatively slim folder.

"He's being placed here as a last resort? His parents are dead and grandmother is incapable of taking care of him…" The woman listed off the things Banér had told her earlier over the phone. "You only have to sign a release form stating that you know he will be living here until he is adopted." Mrs. Linhart shuffled through her mountain of papers and pulled a blank one out.

"You just have to state that you are an officer and the only one who could sign his release. The rest is his name and such." Banér nodded as he clicked a pen he had pulled out of his shirt pocket and began jotting things down.

When he was done, he handed the paper back to Asta and the two stood up. "Thank you for being able to take him in on such short notice. God knows today's been rough."

"Yes. Before you go, could I ask if he has any belongings?"

"I'd imagine so. But right now the police are keeping the house locked up until we're finished with the investigation. Would it be alright if I drop by in a few days to take him to get his things?"

"Oh, that'd be more than okay." Mrs. Linhart looked down at Berwald. "Do you want to say good bye to Mr. Banér? He'll be back in a few days so you can get your things." She smiled sweetly, her long brunette hair falling off her shoulders.

"Good bye Mr. B'nér." Berwald gave a small awkward wave and stood by Mrs. Linhart's side.

* * *

><p>Half the day was wasted away with the ladies shopping through the harbor city. Tino was dragging his feet while Irina held his hand. "I'm tired Äiti," he whined.<p>

"I know, honey. We spent the whole day walking around, but when we get back to the others you can lay down for a bit. We're leaving soon." Irina then went back to talking with Aamu.

Tino looked around the town, taking in the salty air and its people. He heard seagulls squawking to each other and sailors shouting orders while they got ready to set sails. The people on land walked around, some rushing, others strolling. Some starred at his group, some of them whispering. This, he had noticed, always happened when they went to a town or city.

He had asked Irina once and all she had told him was that some people don't like circus performers and then told him to go to bed.

When they got back to the buses, Tino was sent to have a nap while the others got ready to leave. Sweden was only a little ways away and then they would have their first performance there.

Tino dreamt of having friends. Friends other than Aamu and Esa, Irina and Aalto, the other performers and the animals. He dreamt of making friends with a boy in Sweden. Blonde, tall, and quiet. They played in a field, Tino dancing around and the boy smiling shyly.

But then the bus hit a bump in the road and everything shattered. Tino was back in the bus, with only his makeshift family.

By the end of the day the little circus had made it to the border of Finland and Sweden. They pulled out the passports and flashed them to the security to pass through.

Aalto started singing about a troll and fairy while they passed by border security. He sang about a grumpy troll who one day met a quiet fairy. The fairy was a little light blue dot of light to humans but a beautiful creature to the troll. He took her and hid her in his home in a ravine until the other fairies came to find their princess. The troll said he hadn't seen a fairy, that nothing came around him, but then his fairy broke free of her trap and flew away from him with her subjects. The troll became grumpy again until one day the fairy came back, with a proposal. She would stay with him, as his family, if he could treat her as family also. From that day on, the troll was happy, grumpy no more, and his ravine was made more pleasant by his fairy wife.

Tino was transfixed by the story. It was so pretty. He hoped one day his own life would be like that, a person like the fairy to come and they could be happy together. His thoughts were pushed aside, though, when Irina told him he would be performing in their next show in Stockholm. He nodded excitedly. Performing as a Pierrot was the funnest thing he could think of ever doing.

The bus drove on, Aalto sometimes beginning a sing-a-long to pass the time, other times telling a story about the many countries he'd been to. Tino fell asleep in the stuffy bus, in the back while everyone else congregated in the front end.

He dreamt again of the boy. This time they were walking through a city. The sun had long since gone down and the city lights were sparkling everywhere. They held hands, talking about everything and nothing. After walking for a while, Tino asked the boy his name. When the boy opened his mouth, the bus had screeched to a halt, barely missing a car wreck.

Tino scanned the bus then for Irina. Tears were welling in his large purple eyes. He sniffed as he stumbled over the other performers – his family. "Ä-Äiti?"

Irina looked to see her baby shuffling towards her. "Yes, hon? Why are you crying? Did Esa and Aamu play a trick on you?"

Tino shook his head of blonde hair. Tino grasped onto her the moment he could. He buried his face into her chest and began crying. Irina was shocked. It took a lot to make her baby cry. She looked up to see the twins sleeping. Mostly everyone was sleeping, except for her and Aalto and the small group playing poker.

"Tino, babe. What's wrong?" The woman rubbed Tino's back, trying to calm him enough for him to talk. He only kept crying, letting out his pent up feelings.

When he was done, Irina held him back. Had he always been that small? She decided to start watching what he ate and make a change to his diet. "Now tell me what's made you so upset."

"I-I love you so much Äiti. You and Esa and Aamu and everyone in the circus. We're all family… but I've never had any friends outside of our family. Every time I meet someone we're already packing up to go to the next city." Tino choked on a cough and then kept talking. "I really want a friend outside of the family, Irina."

"I know you do, babe. But we are a circus; we can't stay in one place long. We have to keep moving. You can make friends along the way and when we circle around, you can play with them again, then. Besides, how many of these friends you've made have travelled as much as you? When you see them again, you can tell them all about the places you've seen, just like Aalto." Irina smirked at Tino's watery smile. "There, see? All better. Now get some more sleep, Tino. We will be in Stockholm by tomorrow."

Tino nodded and feeling just a bit better went back to his spot in the back and went fell asleep.

When Tino awoke for the second time that morning, the performers were chattering excitedly. The small blonde Finn crawled to the front of the bus to where Irina was still talking to Aalto. She laughed at a joke he was telling and failed to notice her son.

"Where are we now, Äiti?"

Irina jumped in her seat. "Tino! You scared me." Tino apologized. "But we are near Stockholm now, sweetie."

Tino lifted his head. "Really? When are we going to set up? When do I get to perform?" He began jumping around, excited to finally perform again. It felt like he hadn't performed in ages. Or even a week, like it really was. Any glumness he had from the night before was vanished in exchange for vigor for the new day.

* * *

><p>AN: I just wanted to say that I was happy to put some sadness into Tino's story. That sounds so mean! T^T I felt like it would be hard for a little kid like him to travel around so much, making friends and having to leave them every couple of weeks. That's tough...  
>Thank you again to everyone who reads and especially reviews! It means a lot!<p> 


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Well... Mattie's in Hawaii and I'm stuck here writing fanfiction... /sigh  
>If there are any grammarspelling mistakes, please tell me!  
>I hope you like this chapter because they are close to meeting~ ...Maybe. evil face  
>I don't own Hetalia or a spider monkey, but I do own a copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One! spazzes  
>Tim - The Netherlands<br>Kat - Belgium

* * *

><p>After Banér drove off in his police car, Mrs. Linhart showed Berwald around the orphanage. Children were running down the halls, yelling in the library, and being rowdy in the playrooms.<p>

"It really is nice once you get used to the pace, hon." Mrs. Linhart said as she showed him the large dining room where a few children eating a late snack. She showed him the boy's dormitory and where he would be rooming now. "I hope you don't mind having a roommate. Most everyone does here." Berwald shook his head.

"Who?"

"I think this is Tim's room. He is from the Netherlands. He really is a nice boy; quiet though, like you. He has an older sister, Kat." The woman showed him which bed was his and the laminated schedule hanging on the back of the door. Just as they were leaving, a tall blonde boy came into the room.

"Hello, Mrs. Linhart," he said quietly. He had a rough yet childish voice like Berwald. His hair was spiked up and looked intimidating. He had a small bandage on the left side of his face and his eyes were a sharp blue.

"Oh! Berwald, this is Tim. Tim, this is Berwald." Mrs. Linhart introduced the boys. "Tim, this is your new roommate. Please be nice to him." She smiled then said, "Could you finish showing him around the building? I have to finish some paperwork."

Tim nodded and the woman left. "New kid," he said in a rough tone.

Berwald nodded.

"So where hasn't she shown you?"

"Th' upst'rs." Berwald pointed upwards. Tim nodded and led the other boy to a staircase. There wasn't much to the second or third stairs; just more dorm rooms and bathrooms. Most everything else was downstairs.

"Okay. Tour's done." Tim brought Berwald back to their room, grabbed a book off his bed and left once again. The Swedish boy watched him leave silently.

He looked around his room, observing his new bed, the dresser that would soon hold his old clothes, and then at the window between the two beds. It didn't look like it would ever open, but outside it, there was a sidewalk that was full of people.

Berwald chewed on his bottom lip, not out of nervousness, but out of boredom. He didn't know what to do now. He usually read in his room before Officer Banér came in and told him his parents were dead and not just passed out, but all of his books were back in his room where the police were keeping everything until next week. He contemplated finding the library Mrs. Linhart showed him and took himself up on the offer.

A few more kids passed him in the halls but none of them stopped for him. The library was just down the hall from his dorm. It was a bit small, but had many books on a dozen or more ceiling-high shelves.

Berwald made himself at home the best he could after finding a copy of one of the books he had at home and spent the rest of the day until Mrs. Linhart's voice came on over an intercom system, announcing that it was supper time.

Berwald put the book back and followed a stream of children, all different ages and sizes, down the hall to the dining room. Two large, long tables were more than enough to seat everyone and after each child was sitting, a bowl of soup was placed in front of them.

Berwald sat by himself, just wanting to observe the rest of his new 'family' for now. A bowl of soup was placed in front of him and he began eating. He ate slowly, wanting to find out what to do when he was done. He watched as more and more children finished and brought their empty bowls to the ends of the tables and stacked them into rows. Their milk glasses were placed in different rows. Berwald copied and then left back to the library.

The sun was setting by now and he wasn't sure if there was some kind of curfew though his questions were answered when Mrs. Linhart passed the library and informed him that there was in fact a curfew for nine o'clock for the younger children.

He placed his book back again and made his way back to his dorm. Tim was there, sitting on his bed, reading the book from earlier. On his own bed there was a set of night clothes. Berwald changed in the connected bathroom and got into his new bed. Tim turned the lights out a few minutes later, without saying anything and they both went to sleep.

The next morning, Berwald awoke to an empty room. Tim had left earlier that morning without a sound.

He stumbled out of his dorm, still in his night clothes, and saw that a few other children were also. Some were coming out and some in the dining room. Berwald wasn't really hungry, but he decided to have breakfast either way.

Berwald found Tim in the dining room with his face in his book again. There was an older girl sitting beside him, it was most likely Kat. She had a sly grin like a cat as she talked to him. Berwald made his way to them.

"Oh~ Who's this?" Kat asked.

"Ber'ld."

"Oh! I'm Kat. I'm Timmy's older sister~" She smiled and Berwald couldn't help but notice that even her eyes reminded him of a cats. "You must be Timmy's new roommate!"

Tim looked up and nodded.

"If you want breakfast, it's self-serve in the mornings," Kat informed. "You have to be fast if you want the good stuff, too." She pointed to a table of breakfast foods.

"Not h'ngry."

"Okay then! Well, Berwald, before you came, I was telling Timmy about the circus that's coming to town!" Kat pulled out a flyer. "Mrs. Linhart lets us go to it every time it comes. Though, if your young, like you and Timmy, you have to have an escort. I always take Timmy with me!" She handed the flyer to Berwald.

"IRINA'S TRAVELLING CIRCUS" was written on the top. A set of twins were just below it, swinging on ropes. They were juggling scarves and under them was a boy on a red ball. He was dressed in black and white, his face painted similarly. "TINO: THE SILENT PIERROT" was listed as the main performance.

Berwald blushed when he looked at the boy on the paper. Even though his face was painted and a bit blurry, he looked rather attractive. Granted Berwald was only ten and didn't understand what kind of attraction he was feeling, he just thought that 'Tino' looked pretty.

"They're from Finland and they travel across the Nordics all the time," Kat said, taking the flyer back. "And Irina lets us go every time they come to town. They just got to their usual spot in Stockholm this morning and they'll be setting up for tomorrow's show. Aren't you excited, Timmy?" She nudged Tim's arm, bumping his book.

"Whatever." He didn't look up from his book.

"What are you reading this time anyways?" Kat tried to look at the cover.

"It's none of your business," Tim said matter-of-factly.

"Hmph. Well, I bet Berwald's excited. Right?" Kat smiled widely as she looked at the Swede. Berwald shrugged his shoulders and nodded for her. "Great! I can take you and Tim this year!"

Berwald swore her smile was looking more and more like that of a cat's.

* * *

><p>"You will be playing a sad pierrot in the performance tomorrow, babe." Irina said as she pet Tino's platinum bangs. He was wearing the white beret she had gotten for him.<p>

The Finnish boy jumped. "Yay! I love being a Pierrot~" He jumped around the bus, causing the fire-spitter to drop her playing cards. "S-Sorry."

"Alright, love. Before we cause any more trouble, you're going to eat breakfast and then help feed and clean the animals. And no whining either." Tino withheld his groan.

"Alright, Äiti." Tino got off the bus and soon found himself playing with the spider monkey, Juju. The monkey was very active and loved to dance with Tino every chance he got.

Tino brushed his fur and shined his cup for him. The monkey cooed and jumped around and when Tino was done, took the cup back to his cage and then climbed off to mess with the dogs. Tino was ordered by the animals' caretaker to brush the giraffe next.

The giraffe was very tall even though it was younger than Tino. He looked up at it with a bit of nervousness. The giraffe sneezed and the boy jumped back. The baby fell off its feet and onto its backend.

To Tino, it looked as if it was going to cry. He quickly took the brush and began soothing the large animal as he shushed it with his sweet, childish voice. "See? It's alright. Now get up! Up!" Tino helped push the animal back on his feet. "See? Now everything's all better."

The giraffe gave Tino a contented noise and walked off to drink water from his trough.

After feeding the dogs and getting the monkey to stop trying to steal their food, Tino was called by Irina to practice his routine.

The make-up artist painted his face white and then went back and covered his eyelids and lips with black paint. A waxing (or waning, Tino could never tell) moon was also painted on his left cheek. His hair was powdered to make it seem whiter and he dressed into his billowy, pajama-like costume.

"You will perform after Esa and Aamu finish. They'll fall back onto their platforms and the lights will dim and you will step out and do your magic, babe."

"Alright~" Tino got into place just outside of the tent and waited for Esa and Aamu to finish their practicing.

When the lights dimmed, Tino carefully stepped into the spotlight. He worked a sad frown onto his face and the soft music that accompanied his plays began. He danced slowly, making every step count. Irina had only told him he would be playing a sad Pierrot so it was his job to turn it into something more.

He came up with a story on the spot as he danced. He became a man whose wife just died, his newborn child crying in his arms. The music slowed even more and Tino pretended to cry as he pictured in his mind the child dying also.

As the music ended, Tino lay down on the ground, his character having died also.

The lights came back on and Tino heard clapping. Irina was sitting in the stands. "That was great, baby! Perfect!"

Tino blushed at the praise. "Thanks, Äiti!" He ran into the stands and hugged his mother.

"They are going to love this performance tomorrow." Irina stood up. "Now all we have to do is set up the animals' areas."

"Then we can have dinner?" Tino asked? He had smudged his face-paint a bit and Irina took a rag from beside her and wiped the rest off of him.

"Yes, then we can have dinner and rest for tomorrow."

Tino grabbed Irina's hand and dragged her to where they were going to set up the animal's attractions.

The little Finn helped layout the green tarp and set a small square frame on the ground for Juju. The baby giraffe was corralled in a dirt area next to a tree. The elephant was next to him, fenced into a circular area with dirt and mud where he would give rides until it was time for him to perform. The tiger was held in a small caravan-like cage so that it could not escape, though Tino stayed away from it.


End file.
